NIFT Entrance Exam MFTech Colleges 2026: Admissions, Fees, Ranking, Placements

Q: When will the NIFT 2025 application form open?

The online application form for NIFT 2025 is closed. With regular fees, the application was open from November 22-January 6, 2025. With late fees, applications were accepted from Janaury 7-9, 2025. The application was available online at niftadmissions.in. The NTA also released the detailed admission notification, including the eligibility criteria and information brochure. Candidates who met the precribed eligibility criteria for their programme could fill out the NIFT 2025 application form before the last date. Note that NIFT application form will be for admission to the B. Des, M.Des B.FTech M.FTech and MFM courses offered by participating colleges.

Q: How many colleges are there in NIFT?

There are 19 NIFT Colleges which offers admission for 2025 academic session. Candidates can choose their preferred campuses during counselling based on seat availability and rank. The names of NIFT 2025 colleges which are most popular are NIFT New Delhi, NIFT Chennai, NIFT Gandhinagar, NIFT Hyderabad and NIFT Kolkata. The list below gives the names of all the NIFT Institutes in India: S.No NIFT Campus 1 NIFT New Delhi 2 NIFT Chennai 3 NIFT Gandhinagar 4 NIFT Hyderabad 5 NIFT Kolkata 6 NIFT Mumbai 7 NIFT Bengaluru 8 NIFT Raebareli 9 NIFT Bhopal 10 NIFT Kannur 11 NIFT Shillong 12 NIFT Patna 13 NIFT Kangra 14 NIFT Bhubaneswar 15 NIFT Jodhpur 16 NIFT Srinagar 17 NIFT Panchkula 18 NIFT Daman 19 NIFT Varanasi

Q: What are NIFT Score accepting colleges other than participating colleges?

There are 19 NIFTs that will accept NIFT 2026 Scores for admission purposes. These institutes are known as participating colleges. However, in addition to the participating colleges, there are other private colleges that will also consider NIFT 2026 scores for admission to their UG and PG design courses. The candidates are urged to go through the list of result-sharing institutes.

Q: How can I select my preferred NIFT participating institute for admission to the B.Des programme?

The candidate will be able to select their choice of NIFT 2025 participating institutes (in the order of priority) at the time of filling out the NIFT 2025 counseling registration form. Online registration for NIFT 2025 counseling will start soon after the final results are declared. The counseling registrations for NIFT 2025 will be open to candidates who have qualified in the NIFT 2025 entrance exam. The allotment of seats (or campus) to the B. Des programme will be on the basis of merit rank of the candidate in the NIFT 2025 entrance exam and campus selected. So, candidates who are higher in the NIFT 2025 merit rank will be given preference in the seat allotment.

Q: What is the seat intake for the BDes and BFTech programme at NIFT Bengaluru?

NIFT Bengaluru has 190 BDes and 38 BFTech seats. NIFT Bengaluru is one of the leading fashion design colleges in India. The admission cut-off for the institute tends to be higher, so the candidate must have a high merit rank to have a good chance of admission. Admission to both the BDes and BFTech courses at the institute will be conducted on the basis of the merit rank of the candidate in the NIFT 2023 exam. Candidates seeking admission to the BDes programme need to appear in the CAT GAT and Situation Test. However, BFTech applicants only need to take the GAT exam.

Q: How many seats are sanctioned for the Masters programme through NIFT?

The Masters programs at NIFT (M. Des, M. F. Tech, and MFM) has a combined intake capacity of 1034 seats. The General Ability Test (GAT) is common for all courses, while candidates seeking admission to the M. Des programme also need to appear in the Creative Ability Test (CAT). The final merit list for admission to the M. Des programme will be prepared by giving weightage to the CAT, GAT and Interview. Meanwhile, the merit list for the M. F. Tech and M. F. M programs will be prepared by considering the performance of the candidate in the GAT and Interview. The candidate can select their programme of study at the time of filling out the NIFT application form. Note that the allotment of seats will be as per the merit rank of the candidate.

Q: What is the seat intake for the B.Des programme through NIFT?

The B. Des programme has an intake capacity of 2,884 seats for All-India candidates. In addition, there are 300 state-domicile. Admission to the B. Des programme at NIFTs will be based on performance of the candidate in GAT CAT and Situation Test. Candidates are shortlisted for the Situation Test based on their performance in the written exams. The B. Des programme offers specialisation in Fashion Design (FD), Leather Design (LD), Accessory Design (AD), Textile Design (TD), Knitwear Design (KD), and Fashion Communication (FC). The candidate will be able to select their programme of study at the time of counseling and seat allotment.

Q: What is the seat intake for the B.FTech programme through NIFT?

The B.FTech programme has a total intake of 591 seats. This includes, 542 All-India and 49 state-domicile. Note that admission to the programme is based on GAT scores only. B.FTech applicants aren't required to appear in the CAT and Situation Test. The B.FTech programme offers an specialisation in the Apparel Production (Andhra Pradesh) programme. Note that in addition to qualifying in the NIFT 2025 entrance exam, the candidate also needs to meet the programme-specific eligibility criteria to be considered for admission to the B.FTech course.

Q: What is the eligibility criteria for NIFT 2026?

The eligibility criteria may differ depending on the course opted by the candidate. For instance, candidates seeking admission to the B. Des course needs to have passed 10+2 exam from a recognised institute and should be less than 24 years as of August 1, 2026. Relaxation of 5 years in the upper age limit applies for candidates belonging to SC, ST and PwD candidates.

Q: What is NIFT lateral entry admission (NLEA) scheme?

NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) provides an opportunity to candidates who have completed their Diploma in relevant or related fields of Design & Technology for direct admission to the third semester of UG programmes of NIFT. Eligible candidates have to appear in the NIFT 2026 entrance exam to get lateral admission. Admission under lateral entry scheme will be strictly on merit of NIFT 2026 exam, which will include written examination, studio test/ technology aptitude test, and a personal interview. Candidates selected through lateral entry will join the regular UG students of NIFT in their second year. The seat intake under this scheme will be displayed on the website prior to seat allocation.

629 Students Q&A

This exam is conducted for courses given below:

B.Des BFTech MDes, MFM MFTech

Updated on Sep 14, 2025 16:21 IST

By Sayeba Naushad, Assistant Manager

NIFT Participating Institutes 2026 - There are 19 NIFT participating institutes. NIFT Varanasi has been newly added to the list of NIFT 2026 participating colleges. These institutes offer the following design courses - B.Des, M.Des, B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M courses.

The combined seat intake offered by the participating institutes is expected to be around 4,837 seats. These will probably include 4392 All-India seats and 445 state domicile seats. In the UG level, the B.Des has an intake of around 3218 seats, while the B.F.Tech program will have around 591 seats.

The Master's courses at NIFT 2026 (M.Des, M.F.Tech, MFM) are expected to have a combined intake of 1,028 seats. Admission to these courses will be based on NIFT 2026. There will be around 708 available under the NLEA category, including 180 seats for NRI candidates.

Also read:

Q: When will the NIFT 2025 application form open?

Q: How many colleges are there in NIFT?

Q: What are NIFT Score accepting colleges other than participating colleges?

Table of content

NIFT 2026 Seat Matrix (Regular) - Program-wise, G. Total
NIFT 2026 Participating Institutes - All-India Seats
NIFT 2026 Participating Colleges - Courses & Specializations Offered
NIFT Lateral Entry Admission 2026 - Seat Intake
NIFT Participating Institutes 2026 - FAQs

NIFT 2026 Seat Matrix (Regular) - Program-wise, G. Total

The 19 participating NIFTs offer a combined intake of approximately 4,837 seats (regular). Of the total NIFT seat intake, around 4392 are All-India seats. Note that under All-India seats, candidates of any domicile can apply. However, domicile seats are reserved for candidates with the domicile of that particular state. For the 2026 session, there are a total of around 445 domicile seats.

NIFT 2026 Seat intake (Overall) - Regular seats

The expected seat intake of NIFT 2026 are:

Programs	TOTAL	TOTAL	G. TOTAL
Programs	Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)	State Domicile	G. Total (Expected)
Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)
Fashion Design (FD)	644	75	719
Leather Design (LD)	152	0	152
Accessory Design (AD)	542	54	596
Textile Design (TD)	606	75	681
Knitwear Design (KD)	296	14	310
Fashion Communication (FC)	644	75	719
Fashion Interior (FI)	34	7	41
Bachelor Programme - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)
Apparel Production (AP)	542	49	591
Master Programmes
Master of Design (M.Des.)	254	21	275
Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M)	644	75	719
Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)	34	0	34
Total	4392	445	4837

Seat Availability(Regular) - B.Des program

The seat availability for B.Des program are:

Bachelor Programs - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)	TOTAL	TOTA L(Expected)	G. TOTAL (Expected)
Bachelor Programs - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)	Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)	State Domicile	G. Total
Fashion Design (FD)	644	75	719
Leather Design (LD)	152	0	152
Accessory Design (AD)	542	54	596
Textile Design (TD)	606	75	681
Knitwear Design (KD)	296	14	310
Fashion Communication (FC)	644	75	719
Fashion Interior (FI)	34	7	41
Total	2884	300	3218

Seat Availability(Regular) - B.F.Tech program

The seat availability for B.F.Tech program is:

Bachelor Program - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)	TOTAL	TOTAL	G. TOTAL (Expected)
	Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)	State Domicile	G. Total
Apparel Production (AP)	542	49	591

Seat Availability(Regular) - Master Programs

The seat availability for Master's program is:

Master Programs	TOTAL	TOTAL	G. TOTAL (Expected)
Master Programs	Open, SC, ST, OBC(NCL), GEN-EWS, PwD (Open, SC, ST, OBC (NCL)	State Domicile	G. Total
Master of Design (M.Des.)	254	21	275
Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M)	644	75	719
Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)	34	0	34
Total	932	96	1028

Also Read:

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the eligibility criteria for NIFT 2026?

Q: What is NIFT lateral entry admission (NLEA) scheme?

Q: Do we need to join coaching to prepare for NIFT entrance exam?

NIFT 2026 Participating Institutes - All-India Seats

The candidate can go through the seat intake for the B.Des and M.Des courses for All-India candidates (Regular Intake) below.

NIFT Seat Intake 2026 - B.Des program

The Regular seat intake (Total intake - Domicile & NRI seats) for NIFT 2026 participating colleges is given below.

	NIFT 2026 Seat Intake (Regular) - B.Des (Expected)
College	Accessory Design	Fashion Design	Fashion Communication	Textile Design	Knitwear Design	Leather Design	Fashion Interior	Total
NIFT Bengaluru	38	38	38	38	38	-		190
NIFT Bhopal	34	34	34	34	34	-		170
NIFT Bhubaneswar	34	34	34	34	-	-		136
NIFT Chennai	38	38	38	38	38	38		228
NIFT Daman	-[	-	-	34	-	-		34
NIFT New Delhi	38	38	38	38	38	38		228
NIFT Gandhinagar	38	38	38	38	-	-		152
NIFT Hyderabad	38	38	38	38	38	-		190
NIFT Jodhpur	34	34	34	34	-	-		136
NIFT Kangra	34	34	34	34	-	-		136
NIFT Kannur	-	34	34	34	34	-		136
NIFT Kolkata	38	38	38	38	38	38		228
NIFT Mumbai	38	38	38	38	38			190
NIFT Patna	34	34	34	34	-	-		136
NIFT Panchkula	-	34	34	34	-	-		102
NIFT Raebareli	38	38	38	-	-	38		152
NIFT Shillong	34	34	34	34	-	-		136
NIFT Srinagar	34	34	34	34	-	-	-	136
NIFT Varanasi	-	34	34	-	-	-	34	102

Also Read:

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the seat intake for the B.Des programme through NIFT?

Q: What is the seat intake for the B.FTech programme through NIFT?

View accepting colleges

NIFT 2026 Participating Colleges - Courses & Specializations Offered

The 19 participating NIFTs offer B.Des and M.Des courses with specializations in various disciplines.

S.No	NIFT Campus
1	NIFT New Delhi
2	NIFT Chennai
3	NIFT Gandhinagar
4	NIFT Hyderabad
5	NIFT Kolkata
6	NIFT Mumbai
7	NIFT Bengaluru
8	NIFT Raebareli
9	NIFT Bhopal
10	NIFT Kannur
11	NIFT Shillong
12	NIFT Patna
13	NIFT Kangra
14	NIFT Bhubaneswar
15	NIFT Jodhpur
16	NIFT Srinagar
17	NIFT Panchkula
18	NIFT Daman
19	NIFT Varanasi

The B.Des program offers specializations in the following disciplines:

Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)

Bachelor Programme - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)

Apparel Production (AP)

Master Programmes

Master of Design (M.Des.)
Master of Fashion Management (M.F.M)
Master of Fashion Technology (M.F.Tech.)

NIFT Lateral Entry Admission 2026 - Seat Intake

The seat intake for the NIFT Lateral Entry Admission (NLEA) 2026 is given in the table below.

Programs	TOTAL				G. TOTAL (expected)
Programs	Open/OBC/EWS	SC	ST	NRI	G. TOTAL (expected)
Bachelor Programmes - Bachelor of Design (B.Des)
Fashion Design (FD)	5	3	19	24	51
Leather Design (LD)	3	10	9	15	37
Accessory Design (AD)	9	29	39	40	117
Textile Design (TD)	15	33	49	37	134
Knitwear Design (KD)	1	6	19	18	44
Fashion Communication (FC)	3	6	32	21	62
Bachelor Programme - Bachelor of Fashion Technology (B.F.Tech.)
Apparel Production (AP)	128	67	50	59	304
Total	164	154	217	214	749

NIFT Participating Institutes 2026 - FAQs

Go through the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the NIFT 2026 colleges below.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How can I select my preferred NIFT participating institute for admission to the B.Des programme?

Q: What is the seat intake for the BDes and BFTech programme at NIFT Bengaluru?

Q: How many seats are sanctioned for the Masters programme through NIFT?

NIFT Entrance Exam Exam

Student Forum

Anything you would want to ask experts?

Write here...

What is the fee for M.Des programme offered at NIFT?

Answered a month ago

The fee for M.Des programme offered at NIFT is around INR 8 Lakhs.

Fee Components	Fee Amount (2 Years) (2025)
Tuition Fees	5.86 Lakhs
Hostel Fees*	2.21 Lakhs
One-time payment*	27,200
Total fees	8.35 Lakhs

* Hostel fee is calculated on the basis of 1st year. Actual amount may vary. The fees might include components other than hostel fees. Meal Plan is not included in the mentioned fee.

*One-time payment includes Refundable Security Depos

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

What is the fee for B.Des courses offered at NIFTs?

Answered a month ago

The fee of the B.Des programme at NIFT is around INR 14 lakhs.

Semester	NIFT Fees 2024 (INR)	NIFT Fees 2025 (INR)
Semester 1	1,83,200	1,91,700
Semester 2	1,43,000	1,50,000
Semester 3	1,69,800	1,78,700
Semester 4	1,50,000	1,58,000
Semester 5	1,78,700	1,87,800
Semester 6	1,58,000	1,66,000
Semester 7	1,93,700	2,03,200
Semester 8	1,66,000	1,74,000
Total (4 Years)	13,42,400	14,09,400

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Which NIFT is the best?

Answered a month ago

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, is the best based on the India Today ranking (2025).

NIFT Delhi is considered the best NIFT campus in India because of the following:

It consistently ranks No. 1 among all NIFTs (India Today Ranking: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021)
It has

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

Is NIFT Entrance Exam easy?

Answered a month ago

The NIFT entrance exam is considered moderately difficult. The level of difficulty of the exam depends on a student's strengths and preparation. Since seats are limited and competition is high, even average questions feel tougher due to the pressure.

B.Des exam tests creativity, design aptitude, obse

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

What is the educational qualification required for NIFT admissions?

Answered a month ago

The educational qualification for NIFT admissions varies from course to course:

Programme	Educational Qualification Required
B.Des (Bachelor of Design)	Passed 10+2 (Class 12) in any stream (Science, Commerce, Arts, Humanities) from a recognised board
B.FTech (Bachelor of Fashion Technology)	Passed 10+2 (Class 12) in any stream, but Mathematics as a subject in 10+2 is compulsory
M.Des (Master of Design)	Undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university
M.FTech (Master of Fashion Technology)	B.FTech from NIFT or B.E./B.Tech from a recognised university
MFM (Master of Fashion Management)	Undergraduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

How many NIFTs are there in India?

Answered a month ago

There are a total of 19 NIFTs in India that participate in the NIFT admission process. The participating institutes offer B.Des, M.Des, B.F.Tech, M.F.Tech, and M.F.M courses. Admission to the participating institutes will be on the basis of NIFT scores.

NIFT Varanasi has been newly added to the list

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

I have passed H.S.C. vocational examination. Am I eligible for admission to the B.Des program?

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, candidates who have passed their H.S.C. vocational examination may apply for admission to the B.Des program.

Sayeba Naushad

Contributor-Level 10

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